SPLA Battles Against SAF: Complete Timeline of Towns, Commanders & Turning Points (1983-2005)

Published 28 April 2025 – South Sudan Online, Juba

Table of Contents

• Overview of the Second Sudanese Civil War
• Key SPLA Victories (1989-2005)
• Minor Battles That Shaped the Frontlines
• Internal SPLA Splits & Factional Conflicts
• Western Equatoria Campaign
• Legacy: How Battlefield Wins Led to Independence

Overview of the Second Sudanese Civil War

SPLA battles against SAF defined the 22-year war that culminated in South Sudan’s statehood. From the first skirmish at Bor in 1983 to the peaceful entry into Juba in 2005, SPLA guerrillas turned captured towns into milestones on the road to freedom. Below is the most comprehensive timeline of major and minor engagements—towns taken, commanders involved and pivotal years.

Key SPLA Victories (1989-2005)

1. Battle of Kurmuk (1989, 1997)

• Town: Kurmuk, Blue Nile State
• Commanders: Kuol Deim Kuol (1989); later Yasir Arman & Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu (1997)
• Impact: Opened a northern front and severed SAF’s eastern supply corridor.

2. Capture of Torit (Sept 1989)

• Commander: Lt Gen Salva Kiir Mayardit
• Torit’s brief fall electrified Equatoria and forced SAF into costly counter-offensives.

3. Battle of Bor (1991)

• Commander: Dr Riek Machar (SPLA-Nasir)
• Marked the devastating ethnic split inside SPLA, later healed during post-war reconciliation.

4. Capture of Kapoeta (1992)

• Commander: Lt Gen James Hoth Mai
• Secured the vital Kenya logistics corridor for aid and ammunition.

5. Yei “Small London” Offensive (1997)

• Commander: Maj Gen Oyai Deng Ajak
• Yei became an SPLA civil-administration model town.

6. Rumbek Lightning Raid (1997)

• Commander: Lt Gen Paul Malong Awan
• Provided an airstrip and political HQ that anchored SPLA diplomacy.

7. Siege of Juba (1992-2005)

• Commanders: Salva Kiir, Oyay Deng Ajak (multiple phases)
• Sustained pressure isolated SAF until the city entered the CPA framework and changed hands peacefully.

8. Capture of Malakal (1997)

• Commander: Maj Gen George Athor Deng
• Temporarily halted Khartoum’s oil export revenue stream.

9. Wau Twin-Axis Assault (1998)

• Commanders: James Ajongo Mawut & Pieng Deng Majok
• Pushed SAF westward, foreshadowing the collapse of its Bahr el Ghazal front.

10. Gogrial “Triangle” Campaign (1999)

• Commander: Anyar Mayol
• Cut the Wau–Aweil supply line and protected displaced civilians.

11. Battle of Nimule (2002)

• Commander: Brig Gen Obuto Mamur Mete
• Denied SAF access to the Uganda border, cementing SPLA logistics superiority.

12. Aweil Final Push (2004)

• Commander: Salva Kiir
• Secured northern Bahr el Ghazal in advance of the Naivasha peace talks.

13. CPA Entry into Juba (July 2005)

• Commanders: Oyay Deng Ajak & Kuol Manyang Juuk
• Symbolised victory of diplomacy: SPLA troops marched in under UN supervision.

Minor Battles That Shaped the Frontlines

Smaller engagements—Pochalla defence (1984), Yirol clashes (1986-87), Mangayat ambush (1988)—proved decisive in denying SAF mobility. Raids on Renk (1990) and Bentiu oilfields (1997-98) targeted Khartoum’s economic lifeline, while Paul Malong’s 1995 Aweil ambush isolated SAF garrisons in the north-west.

Internal SPLA Splits & Factional Conflicts (1991-2002)

The 1991 Nasir Declaration triggered painful intra-SPLA battles at Panyagoor, Ayod, Waat and Fangak. Concurrent rebellions—Kerubino Kuanyin Bol in Mapel (1992), William Nyuon in Akobo (1993), and Gordon Kong’s militia (1994-95)—stretched SPLA defences but also honed its decentralised command system.

Western Equatoria Campaign (1990-1994)

Securing Yambio, Maridi, Tambura and Mundri opened the “Equatorian link” to Central Africa. Commanders James Hoth Mai, Salva Kiir and Oyai Deng built rear bases, trained thousands, and broadened SPLA’s diplomatic reach.

Legacy: How Battlefield Wins Led to Independence

By 2003 SPLA controlled or contested most of southern Sudan, shifting the balance that led to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Six years later, South Sudan became the world’s newest nation—its freedom etched town by town on the war map.